Many people who see chi machines without trying them feel these devices are not actually giving any real form of exercise. The body is moving, but how could that motion be considered exercise when the user is making no effort and looks totally relaxed?
There is a well-known concept in the West which can be summed up in the saying ‘no pain, no gain’ - especially perhaps in societies where a strong ‘work ethic’ is thought to be central to maintaining a healthy body and mind.
Fortunately for us, our bodies do not work on the basis of abstract concepts. Surprising though it may seem, when we start to experience “goldfish exercise”, our bodies seem to recognise that exercise is taking place. We know this because breathing changes in quality quite significantly a few moments after the swinging of the feet starts. Deeper and better quality breathing from the abdomen starts to naturally happen, rather than the shallower thoracic breathing that can become "normal" for many people.